Self-checkout stations at grocery stores and other retail stores are well known. The stations permit a consumer to scan items for purchase so the station may identify the items and a corresponding price When the consumer indicates all items for purchase have been presented to the terminal, a sub-total is accumulated, any taxes and discounts are computed, and a total amount due is displayed for the consumer. The station then allows the consumer to select a payment method by presenting menu selections to the consumer. If an electronic payment method is selected funds are transferred from the account corresponding to a token submitted by the consumer to the retailer's account. Upon confirmation of payment, the items are released to the consumer. Alternatively, the consumer may select a cash payment option and feed paper currency and coinage to the self-checkout station. Any change required from the amount submitted may then be calculated and dispensed to the consumer before releasing the items to the consumer.
A self-checkout station typically includes a terminal, a scanner and scales for reading unit price codes (UPC) and determining item weight, a cashier keypad and display, a POS terminal for payment entry, a receipt printer, a change unit, and a checkout area for holding items once they have been scanned. The terminal also includes a display, a processor, memory, programmed instructions, and data peripherals to control the operations of the station. The programmed instructions may contain modules that query for item prices, computing totals and performing other functions related to the purchase of items through a self-checkout station. Most checkout stations also include currency readers for verifying the denominations of currency submitted to the terminal for payment of items when the cash payment option is selected. Likewise, a coinage reader provides the same function for coin verification. The currency and coinage readers are well-known components such as those used in vending machines to reduce the risk of loss that occurs from accepting counterfeit currency and coins.
Previously known self-checkout stations do not synchronize the cash collections and disbursements with accounting periods for a store. Instead, manual accounting was used to count the currency and coins collected by a terminal and to count the remaining supply of currency and coins for disbursements. These figures were then manually recorded and provided to accounting personnel for inclusion in the store's accounting figures for a period. Such manual accounting has a number of drawbacks. For one, manual counting may result in loss from theft by store personnel counting the collected funds or by pilfering the change supplies. Likewise, personnel loading the change supplies at terminal initialization for an operating period may take cash. Such losses are possible because the terminal does not record currency exchanges for transactions.
Another problem arising from manual counting is the lack of synchronization with the store's accounting periods unless personnel service the terminal at times corresponding to the store accounting periods. Consequently, loans made to terminals for the purpose of provisioning change supplies cannot be included in the fund accounting for a store until the self-checkout stations are serviced and the currency collected. Subsequent store accounting periods must include self-checkout station fund accounting for transactions that occurred during a previous store accounting period.
What is needed is a way of synchronizing the transaction totals of a self-checkout station with the accounting periods for a store.
What is needed is a way of tracking currency and coinage collected and disbursed by a self-checkout station so theft losses during terminal servicing may be reduced.
What is needed is a way of associating currency collected with its corresponding transaction for more accurate currency tracking and theft detection that may occur at a self-checkout station.
What is needed is a way of tracking currency within a self-checkout station so that funds within the terminal may be accounted during a store accounting period without requiring servicing of the terminal.